Twenty One Years Later
by LollyLovesAngua
Summary: Hogwarts thought it was back to normal twenty one years after the death of Voldemort and the exit of Harry Potter but this is Emily Peakes' first year and it's going to be anything but ordinary... Features the famous Potter and Weasley offspring!
1. Arrival

The trees were passing by the window so fast they were beginning to make Emily's head spin. She turned her back on the view and lifted her feet up, bringing them to a rest on the padded seat next to her. It wasn't surprising to her that she was on her own; she had become used to being by herself when the children at the muggle school she had attended branded her a 'freak' and ever since then, she had never felt the need to make friends. She was very comfortable with being alone and if she were to admit it, she much preferred it.

She pulled a copy of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' out of her bag and flipped it open. Despite being a fairly new copy, Emily had already managed to wear down the corners of the pages reading and re-reading it the summer before coming to Hogwarts. Magical creatures were _far _more interesting than humans any day. If only she had not told her mother to "Surprise me," when she went to Diagon Alley earlier that year. Almost as if he had read her mind, Hooper, her pet Pygmy Puff growled angrily, his non-existent ears burning.

"Do us both a favour and get eaten by a Manticore," she hissed back. She wouldn't have minded a purple one but Hooper's hot pink fluff was frankly insulting.

A knock on the carriage door made her look up. Through the glass, Emily could see a young boy, about the same age as her with a curly red afro peering through the glass. He had a million freckles on his nose and cheeks and a pair of chocolaty brown eyes. Seeing she had noticed him, he slid the compartment door back and leaned through.

"Are you saving those seats for anyone?"

Emily swung her feet back down to the floor again.

"Technically? No, but-"

"Oh, cool."

The boy entered before Emily had had a chance to think of something to say to make him leave and he sat down opposite her, pushing his heavy trunk and pet cage under the seat.

"My name's Hugo. Hugo Weasley. What year are you in?"

"None, as of yet. Although I expect I will be in the first year."

"Oh. Right."

Hugo shifted uncomfortably in his seat and watched the view fly past the window.

"So… do you have any brothers or sisters here?" He didn't wait for an answer. "My sister Rose is in the third year. She's in Ravenclaw because she's really smart-"

"Then why aren't you sitting with her?"

The boy blushed so his darkening cheeks matched his hair.

"She, uh, told me to go away. She's got her own friends here so she doesn't wanna hang around with me any more," he finished and stared at his feet. Emily couldn't decide whether he was cute or pathetic.

"All right, no need to pour your heart out. I believe you."

Hooper began to hum loudly and rolled back and forth around his cage, indicating that it was about time he was fed. Hugo watched with fascination as Emily pulled a packet of 'Puffie Puffs' from her pocket and poured a few treats into her hand.

"Give me your hand."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Hugo extended his hand and allowed Emily to put the small pink cubes that resembled marshmallows into his palm.

"Watch."

Hooper stopped humming and as Hugo watched, a long, thin, red tongue poked out from his fur, darted through the bars and extended all the way up to his outstretched hand. In one swift movement, it scooped the Puffie Puffs up and whipped them back into its mouth faster than Hugo's eyes could follow. He wiped his hand on his jeans as he watched the creature crunching its treats vigorously.

"_Cool."_

"At least someone thinks it is," replied Emily, stuffing the treats back into her trouser pocket, "Honestly, some kids get owls, others get cats and what do I get? A bloody fur ball."

Emily's tirade was interrupted by another knock on the door. Swearing under her breath, she got up and opened it to address the two girls waiting patiently outside. The first had hair that was red like Hugo's but was in a slightly darker tone and it hung halfway down the back of her black t-shirt. Her eyes were a startling shade of green and despite being considerably shorter than Emily she looked her in the eye with the confidence of a much older girl. The other had dark black hair in bunches and eyeliner thicker than Emily's little finger.

"Can we sit here?"

Emily groaned. Hugo, leaning forward to see who she was talking to, nearly fell off the seat with happiness.

"Lily! Kitty!"

He leapt of the seat and ducked under Emily's arm to tackle his red-haired cousin into a hug. She returned it just as enthusiastically and laughed.

"I was waiting for you on the platform, silly! Where did you go?"

Hugo broke away from the hug and returned to his seat, motioning that Lily and Kitty should sit next to him.

"I went looking for Rose but she went off with her friends. You'll stay with me won't you?"

"Of course we will!" She gave him a playful punch on the arm and Hugo smiled.

"Thanks Lily."

The sentiment of the scene was nearly making Emily puke. To avoid this, she knelt down to the floor and pulled out her robes from her trunk. As she was changing from her muggle clothes into her new school robes she couldn't help but listen to the three of them gossiping.

"I saw Albus earlier! He was trying to get into the same compartment as my sister."

"No way? What is it with my brother and your sister?" Lily groaned.

"Rose said to me that we should leave him alone…"

"Shut up, both of you! I'm going to tell you! Sophia said that he was following her around all summer, I reckon he's got a crush on her!"

The three of them burst into fits of giggles.

"That's so _gross_!"

Emily finished changing and sat back down again. This was going to be one long train journey.

"Hey, Hugo? Did your mum buy you a pet to bring with you?"

Hugo jumped up.

"Oh, yeah! Look, I'll show him to you."

He knelt down on the floor and pulled the pet cage from under his seat. With one flamboyant tug, he pulled off the cloth that was covering it and held it high for everyone to see. It appeared to be full of sawdust and nothing else.

"What is it?"

Hugo peered inside and tapped on the glass a few times.

"It's supposed to be a mouse but I've only ever seen him once," he sighed, "I think he's shy."

"Maybe he's lonely," commented Emily, "mice are quite social animals so they prefer to live in groups."

Hugo looked impressed and embarrassed at the same time.

"You think I should have got two?"

Emily took the cage from him and looked inside it.

"Maybe. I'm not really one to judge. I just got that information from a textbook but I expect that mice have different personalities just like humans. Maybe this one likes hiding and being on its own."

She handed the cage back to Hugo.

"It could also be the fact that mice are nocturnal and sleep during the day."

"Oh."

Hugo put the cloth back over the cage and put it back under the seat. Lily gave Emily a sidelong glance.

"What's your name?"

"Emily Peakes. Emily Alison Peakes, before you ask. And no, I don't have any brothers or sisters at Hogwarts already. You?"

Lily grinned.

"Lily Luna Potter. Pleased to meet you."

She extended her hand as though she expected to shake Emily's. Emily didn't meet her hand, but instead allowed her jaw to drop slightly.

"Lily Potter? As in, Harry Potter's daughter?"

It was hard to describe the expression on Lily's face. She had clearly been asked this question before and either found it tedious or amusing, or even both.

"Yeah._The_ Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, Vanquisher of the Dark Lord, hero of the wizarding world etcetera. He's my dad, and he's also Hugo's uncle. Hugo's my cousin."

Hugo waved at Emily as if she didn't know who he was already.

"Who's your friend then?"

"Kitty Marlowe," the black-haired girl replied, "daughter of no one you've ever heard of."

"Touché."

Emily had heard the stories from her mum and dad when she was a lot younger about the famous Harry Potter. Anyone with the tiniest drop of magical blood in their veins knew his story.

"_Before you were born, there was a dark wizard whose name people didn't dare to say aloud because he was so evil. He killed and tortured people as part of his quest for immortality. Our world was crippled by fear and wizard and witch alike were too scared to stand up to him. They say that there was only one man that he was afraid of but that man was only strong enough to keep him from realizing his full potential. However, Albus Dumbledore was not strong enough to rid the world of him. That task fell to a teenage boy; Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. When he was a baby, a prophecy was made that predicted he would be the one to end the Dark Lord's reign, or else die trying. When he was seventeen years old, he met the Dark Lord in The Battle of Hogwarts and fought to fulfil this prophecy. There, the evillest wizard this world has seen fell; killed by his own rebounding curse. The world had learnt its lesson and was safe once more. We must remember those who died to save children like you from living in such misery."_

Looking back on the story now, Emily thought it was a little inappropriate for a six year old girl to hear before she went to sleep at night but it was something that had affected her parents greatly considering her father, then in his fourth year, had fought in The Battle of Hogwarts himself.

"My dad has a Famous Witches and Wizards card with your dad's name on it."

Lily smiled again, and retrieved her own school robes from her case.

"So have I. He says that they made him look far too skinny on it."

The three eleven year olds got changed because it wasn't going to be long before they reached Hogsmeade station and began their new life at Hogwarts. Conversation unavoidably turned to which houses they wanted to be in.

"I want to be in Gryffindor like my mum and dad. Daddy said it's the only house worth being in." remarked Hugo, stuffing his new wand into a pocket and puffing his chest out.

Lily was much more open minded.

"I don't care what house I'm in. My mum and dad were in Gryffindor too but they said the only difference is where your common room is and what table you sit on in the Great Hall. People should work and play together whatever house they're in."

Emily agreed with her. Well, in principle.

"I don't care what house I'm in but if I had to choose I would say Ravenclaw. It's a house for witty people and I would prefer being witty to being brave, hard-working or, ahem, _cunning._"

"What houses were your parents in?" asked Kitty with one eyebrow raised.

"Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. My dad was on the same Quidditch team as Har- your dad. He was a Beater. My mum was in Hufflepuff and she told me it's not as wimpy as everyone says it is."

Lily nodded in approval.

"Kitty, didn't you want to be in Slytherin?"

Hugo got his feet caught in his robes and banged his head against the window when he fell sideways.

"There's no need to be prejudiced, Hugo," sneered Kitty, "my sister is in Slytherin and they've won the house cup two years in a row now."

"By cheating," Hugo whispered under his breath, unfortunately loud enough for Kitty to hear.

"Say what you want we're still gonna beat your ass!"

The whistle sounded as the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station. About time, too, Emily thought.

"All right, break it up you girls we've got to get on a boat across the lake."

The train slowed down to a stop and Lily slid the door open for everyone behind her.

"I've never been in a boat before. Is it dangerous?"

"Not normally, no," explained Emily, "you just have to watch out for the Giant Squid."

Hugo stopped dead in the doorway.

"_Giant_Squid?"

"Yes," retorted Emily, "and if you don't move out of the doorway I'll push you in."

The tiny platform was covered in thick, white smoke that twisted and turned in the wind. Emily led the way with Hugo holding onto the back of her robes with one hand and pulling his belongings with the other. They stopped in front of a colossal man holding a lantern who grinned broadly at them all.

"Welcome ter Hogwarts, firs' years! My name's Professor Hagrid an' I'm the one who's takin' you across the lake this fine evenin'. Any questions?"

Hugo raised his hand weakly.

"Blimey! Don' tell me we've got _another _Weasley comin' this year?" Hagrid laughed, having seen Hugo's ruby-red afro. "Gordon Bennet this place is gonna get run over by the likes of yer if we're not careful!"

Hugo blushed profusely and spoke in a much tinier voice than Emily had previously heard.

"Is it true there's a Giant Squid?"

Hagrid roared with laughter.

"I haven' checked lately! Perhaps we should throw one o' the smaller ones in to find out? Any volunteers?"

A murmur of gullible disbelief rippled across the assembled first years.

"No?" The half giant pretended to be disappointed. _Boy, he must love his job_, thought Emily. "In that case, all there is left to say is no more'n four to a boat, no rockin' no dippin' yer hands, feet or heads in and absolutely no swimmin'. Understood?"

The eleven-year olds nodded weakly.

"Righ'! See you on the other side! If we all make it," he added with a chuckle.

Emily chose a front seat in a boat and was predictably followed by Lily, Kitty and Hugo. Hugo held onto his seat with both hands in terror and shut his eyes tight. Somehow, Emily couldn't see this kid getting into Gryffindor.

* * *

Okay, this is my first Potter fic so be kind. I couldn't decide what rating to use so I made it T to be safe. Any feedback, positive, negative or constructive is welcome but please no flames. To my friends that are reading this, see if you can spot characters with your names!

XXLollyXX


	2. Sorting

The ceiling of the great hall was awash with the colours of the outside sunset and drew the attention of Emily as she walked between the house tables with her fellow first-years. Her mother had told her it was a beautiful sight but the mix of blues, purples, oranges, reds and greens all meshing together in the sky outside was more than incredible to look at. Some of the other students had stopped walking entirely so that they could gape at the vision with their mouths wide open. The teacher leading them in, a tall witch with short, brown spiky hair and a navy blue cloak scowled at them and clicked her fingers. Instantly, their gazes dropped and they resumed following her towards the teachers' table at the front of the hall.

The headmistress, Professor McGonagall, was sat down in her chair in the centre of the table, watching the parade with interest. No doubt, she was already sizing the new students up in anticipation of their sorting. Emily caught her eye and was surprised to see the strict looking witch soften for a moment and wink at her, before leaning to her left to talk to a wizard with wavy blonde hair and a smile to be proud of.

The students came to a stop just short of the staff table, before which was a three legged stool with a battered old hat placed upon it. An awed hush came over the hall as the witch who had been leading the students pulled out a piece of parchment and help it up high to read it from the light of the many candles floating over their heads.

"Anderson, Tony."

A fairly chubby boy with shoulder length brown hair was pushed forward by some of the students behind him. Hugo stood on his tiptoes so he could see over the shoulder of the girl in front of him to watch what was going on. Tony ascended the three steps and stood in front of the stool, waiting for his trial. The witch lifted the old hat from the stool and once the boy had sat down, she placed it on his head.

The hat at first didn't appear to be doing anything much but a few seconds later, a rip near its brim opened wide and a voice shouted,

"Gryffindor!"

A huge cheer erupted from the table on the far left side of the hall and Tony leapt off the chair with the hat still on his head. Remembering himself he did a double take and pushed the hat back into the hands of the witch before dashing towards his new house table. The witch frowned disapprovingly and read out the next name.

"Broadhurst, Jake."

As the next student descended the steps, Emily took the opportunity to ask the tall blonde boy stood behind her who the witch reading the names out was.

"That's Professor Lynch," he whispered in reply, "she's head of Gryffindor house and my brother said she's been teaching transfiguration since McGonagall became Headmistress."

"Right… thank you," she whispered back and she turned in time to watch the hat open the rip near its brim once more and shout,

"Gryffindor!"

"Looks like Gryffindor is going to be popular tonight," Emily whispered under her breath to Hugo, "what are you going to do if they run out of places?"

She took pleasure in watching a brief picture of panic flash across his face.

"What with your last name being Weasley and all…"

She ignored his whimper and watched the next student as she was sorted into Slytherin. The girl smiled knowingly and went to sit right next to the roaring fire that happened to be located next to the Slytherin table. Emily eyed her evilly.

"Smile all you want," she muttered under her breath, "let's see if that smile stays when your arse lights on fire." Hugo gasped at her use of language. "What?" Emily defended herself, "I'm bleeding freezing and she's got the cheek to go and take the seat next to the fire."

The novelty of a hat shouting house names from on top of someone's head soon wore off and Emily found herself looking once more at the teachers' table. At the far end sat Hagrid; his chair had clearly been reinforced with magic to support the half-giant's weight. Next to him was a young, round faced man whose hair was black but looked almost brown because it was littered with small clumps of dirt. If Emily could remember rightly, this wizard was Professor Longbottom; Herbology teacher and hero of the Battle of Hogwarts. He was talking animatedly to the witch sat next to him, a Chinese woman with a short, black bob cut and a pair of glasses. Other than Professors Longbottom, Hagrid and McGonagall, Emily could not recognise any of the other teachers.

Her attention was brought back to the sorting when Professor Lynch called out the next name,

"Finkley, Ajax."

A stout boy with big, muscly shoulders pushed his way past Emily, causing her to fall sideways into Hugo. Regaining her balance, she stood up straight again and predicted correctly the hat's next outburst:

"Slytherin!"

"Couldn't have put it better myself," she muttered under her breath as Ajax went and joined the girl by the fire. She would have to privately admit that he was quite good looking as far as eleven-year olds go, but to admit it out loud was something else entirely.

Emily was tempted to sit on the floor whilst she waited for her name to be called out but something told her Professor Lynch wouldn't approve of that. Was there a spell for making invisible things to lean against? She'd have to learn it in the future because her feet were starting to go to sleep.

Emily couldn't help but laugh when she heard a girl called Ruby Hooper sorted into Ravenclaw and she imagined introducing her one day to her similarly named Pygmy Puff. Ruby, a girl with perfectly curled blonde hair and painted nails didn't look like the kind of girl who would appreciate the joke.

Kitty Marlowe was the first person Emily recognised to be sorted and she clapped politely as she joined Ajax at the Slytherin table. He had started eating already and he acknowledged her with a brief wave of his hand as he dug into another forkful of potato.

After five more students whose name began with the letter 'M' and one new Slytherin student called 'O'Marty' Emily's name was called out to the hall. She hitched her robes up so she wouldn't make an idiot of herself tripping over and sat on the stool, ready for the Sorting Hat to choose her destiny.

A thousand eyes stared at her as the leathery material dropped onto her black hair and stopped short of covering her face by landing on her protruding ears. _At last, I have found a use for my ears, _Emily sighed to herself. She pulled the hat backwards a little so it didn't mess up her fringe and…

"_I say, is this a Peakes?"_

Ridiculous as it was that she would talk to a hat; Emily had been expecting this and struck up a conversation.

"Yep, Jimmy Peakes is my dad. Gryffindor."

"_Yes… a plucky lad when he was here. You have his sarcasm."_

"Why, thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

She wondered briefly whether she had yet had a chance to say anything sarcastic in the presence of the hat but she reminded herself that this particular magical accessory could see your entire personality through your skull.

"_What else is this? Midgen blood?"_

Emily sighed and scratched her ear. This hat wasn't exactly clean and her head was beginning to itch.

"Yeah. Eloise Midgen is my mum. Hufflepuff, kind of spotty. But you wouldn't remember that, would you? You see what's inside."

The hat shifted on her head and Emily got the feeling somehow that the material above had formed a smile.

"_True, Miss Peakes. What would you like _me _to see?"_

She hadn't been expecting that.

"You mean, I get to choose?"

"_You may choose to choose, so to speak. Or, you may allow me to decide for you."_

"Holy macaroni. That's a bit too much responsibility for my liking. How about you choose for me?"

"_As you wish."_

The hat bent upwards and Emily stuck her fingers in her ear in anticipation of the upcoming shout.

"Hufflepuff!"

Time did that crazy little thing where it stops with no warning. The hat was raised from Emily's head but she did not move. She felt as though a Venomous Tentacula had bound her to the stool.

_Hufflepuff? Whaaaat… _The table second from the left was cheering and a few of them were beckoning her towards them. Emily rose as if in a dream and floated down the steps to join the whooping and yelling students.

Of all the houses, Hufflepuff had been the last she had been expecting. Okay, so she didn't have _that _many sadistic tendencies, which meant she wasn't Slytherin material. She was a little disappointed the hat didn't consider her clever enough to be a Ravenclaw but…_Hufflepuff? _

_Too late now, _she thought sullenly as she seated herself at the table and felt numerous pats on the back from her new fellow students.

_Holy macaroni._

The shock wore off just in time for her to watch Lily be sorted into Gryffindor and eventually, when only three students were left, Hugo joined her. How typical, she thought she might have made some new friends and already they had been sorted into different houses from her. She half-heartedly introduced herself to the new Hufflepuff girls, Sarah McMarvin, whose twin brother Greg was also in Hufflepuff, Zelda Rosmerta, a blonde haired, blue eyed girl who resembled a blow up doll and Bethany Thruston, a shy girl that Zelda pointed out was daughter of one of the Weird Sisters. Compared to Emily's sudden attack of mild depression, they appeared to be so excited that an innocent bystander would have good reason to think someone had spiked the pumpkin juice.

The following meal was impressive: ten different kinds of meat, fish, pasta and one or two dishes Emily couldn't identify were within her arm's reach alone. Not wanting to be too adventurous, she helped herself to some pasta and her stomach was ready to burst when the time came for the students to go to their respective dormitories for the night.

A Hufflepuff prefect, introducing himself Xemnas, gathered up the first-years and led the way from the great hall into the Entrance hall and down into a corridor that led to the Dungeons. Emily barely had time to look at the moving paintings of witches, wizards, animals and scenery before they stopped in front of one that showed a grumpy looking dwarf digging in a mine.

"This," announced Xemnas to the group, "is the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. "Grumpy here-"

"That's Rhythram to you!" shouted the dwarf, dropping his pickaxe onto the rocks at his feet.

"Yes, Rhythram, but don't you think it's important they learn your nickname too?"

The dwarf did indeed look grumpy as he stuck his hands in his pockets and turned his back on the students huddled in the corridor.

"Where was I? Oh yes. Every week there will be a new password to get inside the portrait hole. This password, once you have stated it to Grumpy-" the dwarf briefly turned round and gave the prefect the finger, "- will grant you access to the Hufflepuff common room. You'll have to come and see me or another older student if you want the new ones in future. I'll demonstrate the first password to you."

He stood squarely in front of the door and poked Rhythram in the back with his finger.

"Hi ho."

"Ha, ha, HA! Very funny! Just because I'm a painting you think you can make fun of me you pesky-"

"It's the password you bludger!"

The dwarf scowled.

"I knows that. I'm just telling you what I think of you all you bleedin'-"

The boy got tired and prised the portrait open with his fingers, pressing the dwarf's protesting image against the wall beside the opening that was revealed.

"Technically, he's not allowed to keep it shut once you've said the password. It unlocks automatically, you may just need to give it some help, like so."

Xemnas climbed carefully through the hole where Rhythram's painting had been and offered his hand to the waiting students. Zelda was first to climb through after him, followed by Emily, Sarah and her brother and eventually Bethany who was last to drop through on the other side.

The Hufflepuff common room was a lot smaller than Emily had expected it to be. Being underground, there was no natural light. Instead, fat yellow lamps hung from the ceiling and tapers were burning with a sparkling magical yellow flame on the wall.

"This could do with some Feng Shui," remarked Zelda, as she sat down on a puffy brown leather sofa.

The main room was round in shape with two tunnels branching off from the far end of the room. The walls were made of chestnut coloured wood and were covered with many tapestries and paintings, the occupants of which were all dozing or chatting quietly to one another. The atmosphere was rather a peaceful one and it was making Emily feel strangely uneasy.

"So, where's our rooms?" asked Zelda, tossing a fat yellow cushion to the side to make room for a boy to sit next to her.

"Girls' dormitories are in the tunnel on the left. Boys' are in the right tunnel," Xemnas explained, "It will be the first door you come to. Speaking of dormitories it's late already and I suggest you get to bed as soon as possible because classes start tomorrow."

A groan rose from the gathered students.

"I'm not listening to any excuses. With any luck in the next coming weeks you'll be working so hard you'll appreciate those beds. So… off with you."

He ushered them into their respective dorm rooms and Emily was pushed aside by Zelda who instantly claimed to bed closest to the heater as her own. Emily sat down on the one nearest the door and was surprised to find her luggage waiting for her at the foot of the bed. It was as though whoever had placed it there already knew which bed she would take. She picked up Hooper's cage and took him out so he could sit on her shoulder as she unpacked her things and changed into her pyjamas. Hopefully, things would look better in the morning.

* * *

**These first few chapters are mostly setting up the scene so I promise something known as plot will show itself in chapters to come. Please take the time to review, I love to hear what you all think and I'm willing to take on some ideas for sub-plots if anyone would like to see anything in particular happening. Over and Out.**

**XXLollyXX **


	3. Potions

The next morning began for Emily when she was woken by her Pygmy Puff Hooper humming in her ear. She had temporarily left his cage on the bedside table next to the head of her bed but if this was how she was going to be woken up every day, it wasn't going to stay that way very long.

Without opening her eyes, Emily rolled over and fumbled around inside her bag underneath the bed in the hope that she would find some Puffie Puffs. Holding them in her outstretched hand, she felt Hooper's slimy tongue scoop them up and retract them back into his mouth where he crunched them happily.

Seeing as she was now awake anyway, Emily got dressed into her school robes and made her way up to the Great Hall for some breakfast. It was still rather early so the only people in there were mostly excitable first-years and some enthusiastic teachers drinking coffee. The ceiling-come-weather-forecast indicated that the day was set to be bright but cloudy. In the corner of her eye, Emily could see a red-haired, red-robed figure sat at the far left table with one arm above its head, waving frantically. Clearly, Hugo had noticed her so she went to join him at the Gryffindor table where he was sat with Lily and an older dark-haired boy Emily hadn't yet met.

"Morning, Emily!" beamed Hugo, "I didn't sleep last night I was so excited about being here! Where's the Hufflepuff common room?"

Lily elbowed him in the ribs as Emily began to butter some toast.

"She's not supposed to say, remember? It's supposed to be some kind of secret."

"Why?"

Lily didn't know, but she rallied fantastically.

"Because all the Slytherins would want to crash our comfy rooms. It's common knowledge that theirs is really damp somewhere in the Dungeons, we're just not exactly sure where."

The dark-haired boy pulled a pair of glasses out of a pocket in his robes and put them on carefully.

"I know where it is."

Hugo dropped his spoon into his cereal.

"Really, Albus? Where?"

"In the dungeons, like Lily said. I'm not telling you where though. Knowing you, you'd try and get in."

Emily swallowed the toast she had been chewing a little earlier than she had anticipated. Choking slightly, she asked,

"Albus? As in, Albus Dumbledore?"

The boy chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.

"Not Dumbledore. Potter. Harry Potter's my dad."

He flashed Emily a grin and leaned backwards on the bench. Emily got the impression that he was showing off.

"So… you're Lily's older brother then?"

Albus looked a little put out that she wasn't as overly impressed as he had expected her to be.

"Yeah. There's three of us. James is the oldest, I'm the awkward middle child and Lily is the adored youngest and only daughter."

Lily poked her tongue out at him.

"Nice to meet you, Albus. What year are you in?"

"Third. Hey, have you got your timetable yet?"

Emily hadn't, but half an hour later when the hall had gradually filled with students, Professor Longbottom handed her one as she was still sat at the Gryffindor table.

"You know," he commented, "I'm all for house friendliness but you should be sat at the Hufflepuff table. That way, the teachers know where you are."

Emily turned round and mentally measured the distance between the bench she was sat on and the bench directly behind her where the other Hufflepuff students were sat. Three feet, give or take a hair's breadth?

She politely thanked him for the time table and ignored his request to move. As he left to head back to the staff table, she scanned the list of subjects she had just received.

"Wait a gnome-flinging minute… when are we taking Care Of Magical Creatures?"

She cast her eye down Hugo's list, which he had just received from Professor Lynch.

"First years aren't allowed to take it," explained Albus gently to her, "you have to wait until you're in the third year. I've got it this afternoon."

He proudly brandished his new time table in her face and Emily noticed he had already highlighted whenever he was having Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"That's ridiculous. No, more than that. It's completely unfair! Of all the subjects, the one I want to take most is one I can't take for two years!"

Albus groaned as Emily buried her head dramatically in her hands and he stuffed his timetable back into his bag.

"There's no need to be so pissy about it. I'm sure if you spoke to Professor Hagrid he'd let you go and help him out at the weekends or something."

"Really?" Emily looked at him incredulously, "What would that involve? Mucking out Porlocks?"

"Don't ask me. Why don't you go ask him now? I'm sure he wouldn't mind having someone helping him out. Who knows, he might let you ride a unicorn or something…"

Hagrid was indeed sat at the staff table, drinking pumpkin juice from a bucket sized goblet and reading a copy of the Daily Prophet. Emily grabbed a fistful of Hugo's robes and dragged him behind her so she could go talk to him.

"Professor?"

He lowered his newspaper and chuckled.

"No need ter call me tha' kid. I'm Hagrid an' there's no need to be Professorin' me. Your name's Emily, righ'?"

"Yeah."

She had no idea how he already knew that, but she continued regardless.

"Someone told me that first year students aren't allowed to take Care of Magical Creatures but Hugo and I really want to. Can we?"

Hugo was too busy staring at the sky reflected in the ceiling to acknowledge the mention of his name. The half giant was also looking in the same direction and Emily followed his gaze and turned in time to see a flock of owls come shooting through a high window and swoop down over the four house tables. Students with more experience caught the falling presents and packages or levitated them down with their wands. Those closer to Emily's age screamed and ducked.

"Cowards, the lot of 'em," muttered Hagrid under his breath, "Wha's there ter be scared of in an owl?"

Emily raised an eyebrow in the hope that Hagrid would remember what she had asked. Seeing her expression, he did indeed remember himself and nodded.

"I'd be delighted to have some helpers, if yer volunteerin'. I got some new animals in this year an' they'll be needin' some effort ter look after."

"So, we can't take the lesson, but we can muck them out?"

Hagrid winked at the two of them and chuckled again.

"Think of it more as a lesson tha' you don' get an exam in. If you're int'rested, I ain't got a problem with you kids coming down ter see 'em. Jus' don' go skippin' no other lessons, all righ'?"

"Of course we won't Hagrid. Thanks. What animals did you say you had?"

"You haven't got anything dangerous have you?" added Hugo nervously.

"No, nothin' that'll hurt yer. I got a special delivery comin' in this afternoon, if you make yer way down ter me hut after yer lessons you can help put them in their pens. How's about that?"

Hugo was tugging on Emily's sleeve but she ignored him. It was becoming a habit.

"We'd love to. See you there!"

They sat back down at the Gryffindor table and Hugo finally dared to open his mouth.

"Mum said to me that Hagrid only keeps dangerous animals, Em! What did you go and offer our help to help him for? You just watch I bet we get eaten by a Lethifold…"

"Don't be a wimp. Aren't you supposed to be a Gryffindor?"

That shut him up sufficiently enough to make him stay silent as they made their way to the dungeons for their first Potions lesson. Thankfully, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students had been grouped together so Emily, Lily and Hugo all took seats at the back of the class around a cavernous cauldron that smelled faintly of mouldy food. The gathered students fell silent when the door opened with a dramatic creak and the Potions master walked in.

He was a short man and underneath his robes, Emily could see that he was wearing black, heeled boots to compensate. The eerie flickering of the torches made his skin appear as white as a ghost. His eyebrows were thin and curled up at the edges over a pair of green eyes that stared at the students with barely concealed malice. His robes and hair were both black and looked as though they had been attacked by a mad dog. He slammed the door behind him, making the Bethany Thruston in the front row jump in her seat.

"My name, for those of you who do not know, is Professor Redwing. Let me make it clear now that this is how I wish to be addressed. If I am addressed any other way I shall simply ignore you."

Hugo had shifted his position so he was hiding behind both Emily and the cauldron. When Professor Redwing paced around the room to pick up a jar from one of the shelves at the back and bring it back to his desk, Emily could _feel _Hugo holding his breath.

"I should hope by now that you are fully aware of the fact that I shall be teaching you how to brew Potions in these classes. The first potion you will learn to make today is a Chameleon's Potion. Can anyone tell me what effect this potion has on the drinker?"

Sarah McMarvin's hand rose slowly by itself in the front row. Professor Redwing nodded to her, inviting her to speak.

"It changes the colour of the drinker's hair, sir."

Redwing's lip curled and his arms folded.

"If you can explain to the class how to obtain a specific desired colour, I shall award five points to Hufflepuff."

Sarah's face went blank, looking from Redwing to her brother next to her and back again. She hadn't been expecting further questioning. Redwing sighed and addressed the whole class.

"Can anyone else tell me?" His question was met with an answer of silence. "Very well. If you turn to page twenty of 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' you shall find a recipe and instructions for making the potion. Everything you need-" he flicked his wand and a door at the back of the room behind Emily burst open "- is in this cupboard. I shall give ten points to the house of any student who can turn their hair green by the end of this lesson."

The class was divided into groups of three and Emily was grateful to be put in a group with Lily and Hugo. The three of them took it in turns to stir the potion, stoke the fire at the bottom of the cauldron and add the necessary ingredients, including Streeler slime, fairy wings and bee stings. At the end of the lesson the class handed a test tube of potion in and Professor Redwing choose a subject to test them on.

"Perhaps Potter would like to try them out for us? Maybe she would like to prove that she is worthy of her father's name? Or indeed, her grandmother's?"

Lily clenched her fists at the mention of her father and looked as though she was about to fly at him and kick him. Emily held the back of her robes just in case.

"Don't retaliate. Just do what he says. He's only testing you," she whispered to the agitated girl.

The potions master was clearly enjoying the reaction he was not quite receiving from Lily.

"Aren't Gryffindors considered first and foremost, to be brave? Or was I misinformed?" He leaned forwards so his face was inches away from hers and Emily, who was sat next to Lily, could smell his breath.

Lily, her voice calm, wordlessly stood up and proceeded to the front of the room where she chose a random test tube filled with a silvery liquid. In one swift movement she downed the contents and turned back to face the class. Her face twisted into a grimace and there was a hissing noise as her hair glowed brightly. There was steam starting to rise from her head. Redwing didn't move a muscle as he watched the spectacle taking place, instead he sucked in his cheeks and quietly observed. Emil was moments away from jumping up and pouring water over her new friend's head when her hair stopped hissing and transformed into a radiant shade of orange, enough to be different from her usual red hue.

Redwing unfolded his arms and began a slow sarcastic clap as Lily returned to her seat, her cheeks burning and her pride dented. Some students in the front row were laughing and Redwing himself was chuckling under his breath.

"What a shame that you picked the wrong one. Anyone who has read the book should know that the potion that results in green coloured hair is grey, not silver. Five points from Gryffindor."

Lily didn't say a word. She had already learnt that this teacher was one not to talk back to. Emily was just as mad as Lily and she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from verbally abusing him.

The bell rang to signal the end of the lesson and the three packed their things back into their bags and left as fast as they could. The sooner they got out of that dungeon, the better.

* * *

**That Redwing is one piece of evil I don't want to meet in my life. Sorry, Lily! Anyway, please read and review and I hope I shall write the next chapter a lot faster.**

**XXLollyXX **


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